Flesh Golem of the Labyrinth City - Chapter 44



43. A Dog-Eat-Dog World

“What is that? You’ve been wearing it since you left the clan.”

“It’s an artifact called the Cloak of Illusions. It has a perception inhibition function, so when I wear it like this, others will see me as just an ordinary woman.”

“What about us?”

“Since you’ve seen me put on the hood, it probably won’t work on you.”

“I see. It’s quite something.”

The cloak is a peculiar robe with a white base and a thorny pattern embroidered in red thread. They say that wearing it makes you less memorable, which must be annoying for celebrities.

But isn’t the cloak’s design too unique? Since it’s an artifact, it probably has some magical properties, so the design might not matter.

Both Ravi and Delvaheim were ready to enter the labyrinth. Ravi, who had hated it so much the first time, now seemed not to be afraid of the labyrinth anymore.

She carefully packed her staff and put on a navy robe over her casual clothes before heading to the guild.

“Unfortunately, it seems we won’t be entering the labyrinth.”

“What?! Why not?!”

“Because last night, Eon exterminated a large number of Lizardmen. The retrieval work is probably in full swing.”

“Oh, right.”

“Yeah…? Sigh.”

Ravi looked disappointed, but having less work to do was a good thing. I didn’t know much about it, but they say it’s hard to encounter Lizardmen. Delvaheim is strong, but moving to the 10th floor is still a big deal.

In my current state, I could probably carry two people like Ravi in each hand and run, but it would still take time.

“And Eon. I can’t help you, but quite a few people might cling to you. Shake them off well.”

“Why? What’s so great about me?”

“Who do you think exterminated the dozens of Lizardmen corpses currently being retrieved?”

From noble mtl dot com

“Ah, right.”

“Not only the processors, but also various wholesalers and headhunters from small clans who heard the news will be waiting for you all night.”

“Huh. But who reported all that?”

“…”

“Why did you do that?”

“Th-then what should I do..? Stealing credit is a bad thing. How could I take the credit of an iron-grade explorer…?”

Well, that’s true. It’s obvious how much credibility Delvaheim’s words would have. When Delvaheim was reporting this, he probably thought I would join the Meyerbridge Union.

The story of an iron-grade explorer who single-handedly defeated hundreds of orcs joining the Meyerbridge Union as a new recruit could have been quite a threatening propaganda.

Of course, since I didn’t join, that plan fell apart. It can’t be helped. The managers of the Meyerbridge Union are handling various follow-up tasks.

They say that by tomorrow morning, all the transactions for the lizardman corpses will be completed and the money will be in my hands. It’s nice to have someone else handle the work for me.

* * * * *

Despite it being dawn, the inside of the guild is bustling and extremely busy. Lizardman leather is a high-quality material used in various ways, so wholesalers gathered from all over.

Moreover, on days with a lot of goods, it’s easy to drive down prices, so the guild is busy defending prices, and buyers are desperately trying to haggle.

“Wow. It’s a mess.”

“Yuan. This way.”

“Oh, let’s go together!”

Following Delvaheim ahead, I walked along, and Ravi followed me closely as we went upstairs.

The guild building, built in a wide circle with the portal at the center, has slight differences in the range of explorers it deals with depending on the direction the buildings face.

It’s not strictly defined, but the guild buildings facing northwest/northeast tend to deal with high-grade explorers.

The guild lobby facing southeast/southwest tends to deal with low-grade explorers. This phenomenon occurs because the living areas are different.

“Well, we have a distinguished guest.”

“Sir Dexter. As I mentioned before, the subjugation of the Lizardman currently in the dismantling facility was done by this person.”

“Yes, that’s me.”

The man who holds a position in the Guild Management Committee located on the 4th floor of the guild lobby in the southwest direction, ‘Arthur Dexter’. He has his right eye covered with a bandage, and with his shaggy brown hair and stubbly beard, he looks like a typical middle-aged man.

He was once said to be a titanium-grade explorer, but now he has retired from the front lines and is dedicated to working in the guild’s management for lower-grade explorers. That’s what Delvaheim explained.

“Nice to meet you. What’s your name?”

“I’m Aven.”

“I see. I’ve heard about your exploits. Besides the Lizardman that’s coming in now, you also took down hundreds of orcs and even the orc chieftain by yourself.”

“Yes… that’s how it happened.”

“You can speak more proudly. You’ve accomplished something that even most gold-grade explorers find difficult.”

“Is that so? Thank you for the compliment.”

Dexter nodded and sat back down from where he had stood. He looked very tired, probably because of the amount of work he had, but well, being titanium-grade, he should be more than human, so he should be able to take care of himself.

“First of all, let me say well done. You must have things to do. After a thorough check, I’ll assign points as soon as possible, so don’t worry.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“It’s nothing.”

After exchanging a few more personal words with Dexter, Delvaheim went down from the 4th floor and headed to the workshop he had visited before. A few people approached him on the way, but he brushed them off, saying they could talk later.

“Yuan… have you become famous?”

“No way.”

“You know you can’t forget me, right..? You must come to the appraisal office… to me, right..?”

“Yes. Of course.”

Dozens of lizardman corpses, butchered by orcs, are being dismantled in the workshop. There are so many that some haven’t even been touched yet, and they haven’t even recovered all the bodies.

It’ll be this evening before the work is done. And tomorrow morning before all the side stuff like sales are finished.

“Don’t you use anything from the orcs?”

“Nah. Orcs have very little market value. Their hides, their meat, nothing is worth anything.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“And more importantly… it’s illegal.”

“Selling orcs? Why?”

Delbaheim hesitated a little, then suddenly leaned in, whispering into my ear.

“O, orc semen is used to make illegal aphrodisiacs…”

“Ah.”

That’s horrifying…

* * * * *

“Hmm. What to do about this.”

“Umm.”

“Ugh…”

Just in case, I’d cut from the lizardman’s waist up to the middle of his thighs and brought it all whole. These lizardmen have pretty long tails. They’re quite heavy, and the part where the tailbone connects to the lower back is really thick.

“There are recipes for lizardman tails.”

“You can’t cook them. They have to be eaten raw.”

“That…sounds difficult.”

“Let’s cut into it first, yeah..? Careful not to get any bone dust flying….”

Starting the task, I have no idea how to proceed. Maybe I should have hired a dismantler from the guild. I returned to the Sateria appraisal office, but I have to consider the smell and the splattering blood.

“Are you saying we need to prevent any loss during the cutting process?”

“Yes. If any part is missing, it might not function properly.”

“I think I can help with cutting it cleanly.”

“Really?”

Delvaheim nodded. Come to think of it, isn’t this person a Palladium? The image I had of him was a bit different due to his actions in front of me, but he is a member of the dive party that reached the 68th floor.

He should be able to easily cut off the tail of such a low-grade monster. The human spine consists of cervical, thoracic, and lumbar vertebrae, followed by the sacrum and coccyx, commonly known as the tailbone.

In contrast, the Lizardman’s spine extends all the way to the tip of its tail without the sacrum and coccyx, forming a long, continuous bone.

“Like this.”

Delvaheim used his ability to freeze the part where the Lizardman’s tail was attached and then neatly cut it off. Quite a convenient ability.

“Could you perhaps cut it into segments like this?”

“Understood.”

Then he sliced the severed tail into thin segments, making it easy to eat…? No, just into bite-sized pieces.

‘It looks like ingredients for oxtail soup.’

For now, he cut it into pieces small enough to fit in the mouth. It was cut very cleanly. I didn’t expect this from Delvaheim, but he seems to be a high-ranking explorer after all.

“Are you… going to eat that?”

“Yes. I have to.”

The initial segments were still a bit thick. Reluctantly, he cut them in half again to prevent any loss and put them in a container, and the world’s most gruesome eating show began.

*Crunch*

“Ugh, I… I’ll step outside for a moment… Call me when you’re done eating…”

I had a mouthful of tails, so I just nodded in response.

Did it take about 10 minutes? It was much easier than trying to chew on hard bones and pushing them down my throat. Eventually, I stuffed all the tails into my stomach and stored them using my skill.

“Is it done now?”

—Creak

“Is it, is it over…?”

“Yes. It’s over.”

I need to focus properly. A monkey? How is a monkey’s tail attached anyway? Connect the tailbone right after the lumbar vertebrae…

“The skin… it does connect.”

The lizardman’s tail skin feels like that of a crocodile, obviously different from human skin. It’s uncertain whether my human skin and the lizardman’s hide will properly adhere.

There’s no choice but to try everything.

“Phew… I’ll give it a try. Please don’t rush me, even if it takes a while. I need to concentrate.”

“Yes..!”

Ravi nodded vigorously, while Delvaheim nodded quietly. Both were sitting side by side on the bed, watching me. I stood in the center of the spacious room.

Alright, let’s do this. It feels like I’m growing a tail. Let’s raise my hand and touch the end of my spine. Where should the root of the tail start? When I opened up the lizardman’s lower body, there was a bone that seemed to be an intermediate stage between the spine and the tailbone.

Of course, I ate that too, so I should be able to use it.

Can I attach cartilage to the end of my spine? I think I can. My skin and the lizardman’s hide? Let’s attach them well. Even if it doesn’t work, I won’t die immediately. At most, muscle fibers will slightly protrude outside.

‘Here.’

I can feel it with my hand. It seems like the tail should start here.

I focused my mind and used my skill.

‘Come out. Tail.’

Crack….

“This is…!”

It worked. A tail emerged. But the tail that vigorously sprang from my lower back tore through my pants.

Clang-

In front of me. Another tail that had been with me since birth, burst out into the world together.

“Ah-“

“Gasp..!”

Dangle.

“No.”

This damn world.